Dearly Beloved

Wedding days are special and memorable days. Brides plan their extraordinary day in the finest detail. There are so many things to do and consider for this day: the venue, dcor designers, dress, choice of flowers, guest list, photographer ... right through to the smallest and seemingly least important thing (if there is something that can be considered trivial when planning a wedding).

There are so many weddings every month ... year ... that each wedding planned needs to be something different. Instead of throwing rice or releasing white doves, some may release butterflies. Others may go to great lengths (or heights ... or depths) by getting married in the air, or below the sea.

And surely at some point every bride- and groom-to-be wonder about the gifts they will receive.

And then there's the honeymoon! Where to go? Where to go?

Unfortunately, even though everything is very overwhelming and expensive, many people marry with the wrong attitude: if it doesn't work out, they will get a divorce. Not forgetting about those who elope or rush into a marriage.

Divorce! Who counts the costs involved? And these costs involve more than just money.

What if a divorce was planned like a wedding? The divorcee has to organize and run the whole shebang of having a divorce day.

What if?

Dearly Beloved

We are gathered together here in the sign of God - and in the face of this company - to separate from each other this man and this woman from holy matrimony, which is no longer commended to be honorable among them; and therefore is to be ended reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Out of this holy estate these two persons present now come to be separated. If any person can show just cause why they may not be divorced - let them speak now or forever hold their peace.

Marriage is no longer a union of this man and woman: not in heart, body or mind. It is no longer intended for their mutual joy. There is no prosperity, just adversity. Importantly - it is no longer a means through which a stable and loving environment can be attained.

Through divorce, HUSBAND'S NAME and WIFE'S NAME make a commitment together to face their future - embrace their dreams - realize their hopes - without each other. HUSBAND'S NAME and WIFE'S NAME will promise one another to avoid each other throughout the rest of their lives - with absolutely no understanding - openness - or sensitivity to each other.

We are here today - before God - not because divorce is one of His most sacred wishes - but to witness the dissolution of a marriage of HUSBAND'S NAME and WIFE'S NAME. This occasion marks the celebration of freedom from further commitment with which this man and this woman begin their life anew and independent from each other. And now - through me - He allows - but does not approve of - the breaking of a holy bond.
Who relieves this woman in divorce from this man?

This is a beginning and a continuation of their lives as separated individuals. With care, respect, responsibility and knowledge comes the affirmation of separation, which ultimately leads to happiness, growth and freedom. With respect for individual boundaries comes the freedom to live without each other. Out of the emotional turmoil of a devastating relationship - the knowledge of living for oneself becomes the fertile soil for individual growth. With care and responsibility towards self - only - comes the potential for full and happy lives.

By gathering together all the wishes of happiness and our fondest hopes for HUSBAND'S NAME and WIFE'S NAME from all present here, we assure them that our hearts are in tune with theirs. These moments are so meaningful to all of us, for "what greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are - at last - legally separated from each other - to strengthen only themselves in their own labor - to minister to themselves in all sorrow - to share with themselves in all gladness.

This relationship no longer stands for love, loyalty, honesty and trust, or for that matter, friendship. Before they knew love, they were friends, and it was from this seed of friendship that they were destined to marry. But it was a mistake. They could not direct the course of love - and love, did not find them worthy enough to direct them.

Divorce is an act of faith and a personal commitment as well as a moral and physical dissolution of a union between two people. Divorce has been described as the best and most important solution that can end what existed between them. It is the denouncement of their love and trust into a dying energy of spiritual life. It is no longer a moral commitment that needs daily attention. Divorce ends a life long consecration of the ideal of loving kindness - and backs the will to be single again.

Exchange of Vows

Do you HUSBAND'S NAME forsake WIFE'S NAME as your wife - to live separately - against God's ordinance - and no longer be bound in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you refuse to love, comfort, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, neither cherishing nor continually bestowing upon her your heart's deepest devotion; accepting other women, keeping yourself available for other women as long as you shall live?

Do you WIFE'S NAME forsake HUSBAND'S NAME as your husband - to live separately - against God's ordinance - and no longer be bound in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you refuse to love, comfort, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, neither cherishing nor continually bestowing upon him your heart's deepest devotion; accepting other men, keeping yourself available for other men as long as you shall live?

Removal of Wedding Rings

Take off the token of your apathy.

May the removal of these rings be the symbol of your apathy. These two lives are now separated in a broken circle. Wherever they go - may they soon forget about each other. May these two find another love, for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in a new relationship of understanding and compassion. May the home which they establish on their own be such a place that many will find there a lover. May these rings, which are now removed from their fingers, symbolize the end of love in their hearts.

Will you both look at each other and repeat after me:

You are now nothing to me from this day forward and I take from you this ring as the pledge and symbol of my apathy; and by no longer wearing this ring, I thee divorce.

Pronouncement

May you always enjoy your singleness as a gift of love - be separated in heart and in mind - may you always create a home for yourself that puts in your heart - love - generosity and kindness for only yourself.

In as much as MAN'S NAME and WOMAN'S NAME have consented together to being legally separated, before this company of friends and family, and pledged their apathy - and declared their singleness by giving back and receiving a ring - I now declare that they are free.

You have pronounced yourselves DIVORCED, so remember to stay as far as possible from each other.
What - therefore - God has joined together - man has separated.

And so, by the power vested in me and by the State and Almighty God, I now pronounce you DIVORCED - and may your days be good and long upon the earth.

You may now say goodbye to each other.

The moral of the story is: how many people will opt for a divorce if they have to go through all of this, in church, in the company of family and friends, with a reception, gifts and a holiday (honeymoon) away by themselves - or with their lovers - as long as they do not go away together?

Would one go as far as putting together a divorce album?

http://www.blinc123.za.net

Greek Orthodox Chant Movie Video

I love the chants from the Greek Orthodox and other Religions

Peaceful Warrior God

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Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a christian Ideas library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Dealing With Macho Mentality

The Deity of Jesus Christ - Peter and John

Peter and John were often in each other's company. They also shared the same ideas about their Saviour.

I Peter 1:10-11, The Spirit of the Prophets. Do I need to prove to my readers that it was Jahweh, the Covenant God of Israel, who sent and spoke through the prophets? No? Good. But there is a piece of information that we are not given until the Apostle Peter shares it with us in his letter; listen carefully: "Of (your) salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently...searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify..." But wait. There's more to the mystery. Peter continues (II Peter 1:21) "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Yahweh, Christ, Holy Ghost. One.

I John 5:7, Simply One. That's right, John, keep it simple for us. " For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." With a statement like this, we want to say with the disciples, "Now speakest Thou plainly, and speakest no proverb..." (John 16:29) These three are one. Not to be understood. To be believed!

I John 5:20, True God. John, in typical zest for this topic, ends his first epistle thus:(5:20) "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. THIS is the true God, and eternal life." Jesus, the true one, is the true God.

Revelation 1:8, God of the visions. At the beginning of the feverish activity of this book, John sees one that he claims is like "the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass...and His voice as the sound of many waters." Later Jesus identifies Himself more clearly by stating, "I am He that liveth and was dead." (1:18)

But others in the line of prophets have seen similar men. They did not call them Jesus, but we always assumed they were God. For example, Daniel's "ancient of days." (Daniel 7:9) "...the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool..." Then there's Daniel's "certain man," found in 10:5-6 "...and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz; His body also was like the beryl, and His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of His words like the voice of a multitude."The same Divine Being .

Revelation 5:13, Equally Praised. You will notice a praise service going on. "And every creature which is in Heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Same equation here. We can't stretch so far as to say that there are two separate entities here, both receiving these adulations. Neither can we deny the dual character of the One God. Marvelous mystery!

Revelation 22:13, Alpha and Omega . We can do no better than to end with these famous words from Jesus. Or are they from the Father? Even the "red-letter-makers" of my King James Bible get confused on this one! Clearly it is Jesus calling Himself "Alpha and Omega" in the first chapter of the book, verses 8 and 11. By the time we get to chapter 21, and the same words are spoken, the editor shies away from his red letters when he comes to verse 6. Here the context speaks of God, the God who shall "wipe away all tears", and "make all things new", and "give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." This One says "I will be his God, and he shall be my son," to that same thirsty one. But no red letters! I ask you, Who is the "Alpha and Omega"? All you have to do to find out is go to chapter 22, where , in the brightest of red letters , in verse 13, following a verse that says "Behold I come quickly," is the statement, I am Alpha and Omega..."

The inconsistency is understandable, but hardly justifiable. This God of the New Jerusalem is none other than Jesus Himself! And if every word that was ever spoken by this God known as Jesus were to be colored red, would not the entire set of Holy Scriptures have to be of this hue? The Book is "God-breathed", is it not? To be God-breathed means to be Jesus-breathed. I think you've probably got the point by now!

Jesus is God.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosen together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.

The Korean Peninsula's Long Night

Christian North Korea, what was it like a hundred years ago?

Some of my readers/hearers may be feeling down today. It happens to me on a regular basis in the school system where I work. Some may be facing sickness or financial loss. But chances are none of us are experiencing anything like the constant stream of evil perpetrated on the Christian inhabitants of the Korean peninsula. We're back in the early part of the 20th century there, during the Japanese occupation. The new masters became so oppressive that native Koreans, led in large part by believers, took to the street. Japan reacted. The torture began. A reporter of the day wrote:

"Men and boys were trussed and suspended from the ceilings so that their weight hung on the shoulders. Thus they were raised and lowered til unconscious. They had their fingers pressed over red hot wires. Their naked flesh was lacerated with sharp hooks and seared with hot irons. Toenails were torn from the flesh with pincers. Men were placed in a tight box and then screwed up. They were tied up, their heads forced back, and hot water or a solution of water and red pepper poured down their nostrils. Slivers of wood were shoved far under their fingernails. They were flogged until they had to be taken to hospitals, where big slabs of gangrenous skin had to be cut off. In many cases they were flogged to death. [These tortures] were not done once or twice, but repeatedly for days and nights, hours at a time, until the victim confessed, whether he had anything to confess or not..."

A 21-year-old Christian female from Pyongyang gave Presbyterian missionaries a signed statement of how women were treated. I will not be able to share all of what she said. But the most dedicated followers of Jesus were humiliated, beaten into unconsciousness, burned with lighted cigarettes, compelled to "baby-sit" the bodies of dead men, bound hand and foot in stocks, exposed to vile indecent remarks, and on and on. "Some of the girls were so changed that they did not look like human beings."

Church papers in the U.S. begin relating the truth about the atrocities as they hear them from the missionaries. So the Japanese have to get rid of the reporters. Two hundred "thugs" are brought over from Japan to terrorize these representatives of Christ's kingdom. Homes must be guarded every night. People are beaten. Others sentenced to prison terms. Then the world press picks up the story. Japan relents and produces reforms, which last about ten years.

In the thirties there is again a fresh crop of Japanese hardliners that rises to repress Christians. More arrests. More rules. In 1937 students at Christian schools are told they must worship the Sun Goddess. Surely all Christians said NO? Wrong. The Methodists go along with the idea, saying that this is merely a cultural patriotic thing, not a religious one. Presbyterians do not comply but they decide to close their schools. The witness of Christ is being snuffed out.

Some churches are given similar regulations. Christians who fail to worship at a Shinto shrine are to be imprisoned. Then in '39 all foreign missionaries are forced to leave the country altogether. The believers who are left behind continue to be pressured into compromise. No more Old Testaments allowed in worship. No New Testament passages that claim Christ to be Lord and King can be proclaimed! Families are forced to "baptize" their children into the Shinto religion. Church buildings confiscated. Clergy drafted for work for the war effort (World War II).

Yes, all of this before Kim and Communism. And all of this after Pyongyang is known as the "Jerusalem" of the East. What a history this peninsula has known! How God's people have paid a price over the years! Gets you to wondering afresh, would I have stood firm? Would I have mentally sought escape from the cross by saying Sun worship is merely "patriotic"? Would I have hid an Old Testament and taught it faithfully to my children, as I would in the free world? Would I have found ways to preach Jesus IS Lord and King, and will one day rule the world when He comes in glory? I have now. Would I have then? Would I have let them force me into infant baptism and a false religion? I fought all of that here. What about there?

Easy to say, "Lord we are able to bear the cross, to drink the cup." It all sounds so poetic and romantic and wonderful. But Peter found out that all the talk in the world doesn't prepare one for an arrest in the middle of the night. May Jesus' Spirit make us ready. For now let us keep praying for those who gladly give their lives away to Jesus.

Oh how the enemy of our soul hates us! Though it is promised that if we resist his temptations he will flee from us, there is no fleeing from the vicious hatred he is at times allowed to pour out on those willing to bear the cross of Christ.

Still feeling down ? In the midst of the ups and downs of life, may Jesus keep His cross before us, and the joy of meeting Him, having borne it faithfully.
Quotes above also used by the Heflins, authors of By Their Blood.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

Inspiration Ideas and Motivation Video

Finding something you don't like about yourself is usually very easy for most people. Most of the time you don't even have to ask your family or friends because you have heard them complain about the same thing for years. How many times have you heard someone mention, I need to lose weight?

There are plenty of things that people would like to stop doing or start doing. If you're a smoker and you seem to shop excessively near the casinos, I would advise you to start with something small and work your way up to the big stuff.

What are you going to change today about your life? Make a list of things that you're not happy with about your life and start making the changes today that you need to create the life you deserve and desire.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a personal development video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Quit Waiting For Help

Self Motivation, Your Key to Success

Motivation is defined as the intention of achieving a goal, leading to goal-directed behaviour. It drives us towards achievement our goals, give us a reason to do things that is required to reach our goal. There are two kinds of motivation, outside and self motivation.

Outside motivation are motivation from an inspiring book, a story about courage, nature and even a child. You could be motivated after hearing a speech from an inspirational speaker or you might want to do something for the community when you heard a heartwarming story. Sometimes, it is through outside motivation that made us think about our life and our achievements. Outside motivation gives you hope and remind you that it is possible to be successful and be happy.

There is no stronger motivation then self motivation. People can tell you all kinds of inspiring stories, advice and encouragement but if we have no desire to change, it can't motivate us. Self motivation requires us to look within ourselves to find the reason to drive us towards our goal. We accept and acknowledge what is lacking in our life and make it our goal to change ourselves. Self motivation requires a lot of perseverance and belief. In self motivation, we tell ourselves what we want to do; nobody and nothing can otherwise spur us to action. We are in charge of our actions and emotions.

Outside motivation could be the first step in helping us identify our goals. It gives us hope and sometimes provides us with the guidelines towards achieving our goals. However, as this is other people's experience, we might get side tracked or find it difficult to follow. Of course, we can be de motivated too by our own self motivation. However, as it comes from within us and we mastermind the process; self motivation is a stronger and more secure way to help us achieved our goals.

In our learning curve towards personal success, achievements and happiness, we often meet people who have inspired, motivate and encourage us. Join Jennifer Lim as she shares her experience and articles on motivation and self improvement in Learning Curve